Healthy Philippine Food Brands

Admit it: you don’t want to gain weight. And just like you, many other Filipinos are becoming wary of their expanding waistlines, hence the advent of healthy Philippine food brands that offer irresistible food – without the guilt.

Photo from Smart Nutrition

We Filipinos are known for their delicious food; however, a lot of the food options we boast of are rich in calories (such as our native cakes) or cholesterol (just like our roast pig, a.k.a. “lechon”). In other words, we have delicious food that is just too sinful! But more health-conscious Filipinos now go for healthy Philippine food brands, such as the ones I shall mention later on. (I’m also giving away several bottles of healthy food, so join me on my Facebook page for updates!)

Healthy Food in the Philippines

Never assume that healthy food is bland, unpalatable, or expensive. Healthy food in the Philippines is usually pricier, yes, but I think of it as investing in health. The price you pay for healthier food options keeps you away from weight problems, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and many other diseases that depend greatly on your nutrition. You may spend now, but you save money from all the diseases you prevented by eating healthy!

That is why I would rather spend than scrimp when it comes to food. Besides, healthy food in the Philippines isn’t that expensive. Below are some of the examples of healthy food that you are sure to love.

Let me start with a mainstream brand: Kenny Rogers has made its mark in the Philippine market as a restaurant that offers “healthier” fast food. Unlike other fast food chains, they serve fruits, green salads, fish, and roast chicken (which has less fat compared to deep-fried chicken). Their food is definitely healthier than burgers and French fries.

Yakult is a trusted yogurt drink brand in the Philippines. Each serving costs less than PhP10 (that’s less than $0.25) – so there’s no excuse not to buy this probiotic drink.

Impressca is one of the few restaurants in the Philippines that offer healthy food. They have delicious salads, sandwiches, pasta, teas, juices, and shakes that are light yet enough to satisfy your hunger. Impressca also supports the cancer advocacy (they were happy to sponsor food for last year’s Christmas cancer event), which gives them plus points in my book.

Smart Nutrition is an emerging brand that customizes your diet for you. The team behind this brand, composed of a doctor, a food engineer, and a chef, gives you your food ration for the day – that way, you will never eat more than your body needs. When you look at the food you have to eat for one day, you won’t believe you’re on a diet: you get breakfast, lunch, dinner, plus two snacks – and they all taste good. If you are a foodie who wants to lose weight, I recommend that you avail of Smart Nutrition’s services. They advocate healthy weight loss through food enjoyment! Learn more about Smart Nutrition and find out if it’s a brand you want to try (you get a discount just by reading my article, I might add).

The Blue Kitchen is a great brand when it comes to healthy Pinoy food. Most of the food that The Blue Kitchen sells is packaged in bottles which you can store in your fridge. For instance, they have bottles of milkfish (bangus) in olive oil with white wine, dilis in olive oil, and caviar pinoy in olive oil, to name a few. Oh, and did I mention that I’m giving away a Blue Kitchen food gift pack? See the mechanics below.

Contest ends November 30, 2012. I will announce the winner on my Facebook pageand also as an update on this article.

And I’m curious, do you make an effort to eat healthy? Do you go straight to the instant noodles aisle when you’re at the supermarket? Do you have junk food instead of fruits at home? Do you patronize other healthy Philippine food brands? Share what’s on your mind.

IF SOMEONE WILL BENEFIT, SHARE IT!

About the bloggerStef dela Cruz is a doctor and writer. She received the 2013 Award for Health Media from the Department of Health. She maintains a health column in Health.Care Magazine and a cat welfare column in The Manila Bulletin's Animal Scene. Add her Google profile to your circles.

I must say I should put an extra effort in preparing healthy food, my husband loves instant noodles and stuff. But I always encourage him to eat fruits! I stock up a lot in the fridge and cut them to bite size to make it easy for my family to grab them! Pasta with sardines is a family favorite :)

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A nurse and doctor who graduated with Latin honors in both degrees at the University of Santo Tomas, she is now a columnist for two print magazines and a website. She also contributes to a national newspaper.

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